Travel notes.

Eleuthera By Bike And A Sailing Fest In Grenada

September 26, 1993|By David McCracken, Special to the Tribune.

Your own bike may be heading for storage soon, but pedaling need not be restricted to the gym when cold weather strikes. "Bike the Bahamas" will offer eight-day biking tours of the island of Eleuthera in the Bahamas plus its smaller outlying islands from November through April. When not traveling the paved main road of Eleuthera or the more challenging off-road trails, bikers will stay aboard a 90-foot catamaran which will visit secluded areas of the islands for snorkeling and windsurfing. Some scuba diving also will be available for certified divers. The $1,195 cost will include all meals and lodging aboard ship and two nights in Nassau, where trips depart and return, use of a hybrid bicycle (for road and off-road riding) and all water sports. For reservations or a free brochure, call 319-653-2277.

Sun-followers will get one night's lodging free when they sign up for four- or five-night packages to one of 13 Hyatt resorts in Florida, Texas, California, South Carolina, Hawaii and the Caribbean. Travel must be booked and taken before Dec. 15; prices vary depending on origination city. Call Hyatt at 800-233-1234 for reservations; for packages including airfare, call Hyatt Vacations at 800-772-0011.

The island of Grenada's first sailing festival will include competitive races and more casual events from Jan. 20-27, 1994. Topping off the festival will be match-racing between America's Cup skipper Buddy Melges and Canadian racer Terry Neilsen in a four-out-of-seven series. Crew positions on Melges and Neilsen's boats will be auctioned off. For more information or to register, call the Grenada Board of Tourism at 809-440-2279 or the Grenada Yacht Club, 809-440-3050.

Scores of condos, homes and villas to rent in the Caribbean and other sunny climes will be listed in the fall/winter issue of World-Wide Home Rental Guide, available next month to subscribers and travel agents. From Belize to Hilton Head, S.C., Spain to Jamaica, the guide will include photos and descriptions of numerous beachfront properties available for short-term rental, from a day to a month, by contacting individual owners or managers. Subscriptions for the twice-yearly publication are $18 for one year, $30 for two years, $42 for three years. Call 505-984-7080.

French food adventures

Le Francais restaurant in Wheeling and gastronomic tour operator TraveLuxe have teamed up for a culinary tour following French cooking from farm to table. Beginning in the southwest of France, participants will observe the harvesting, production, preparation and presentation of fine French wine and cuisine, visiting Bordeaux vineyards, open-air markets and the kitchens of such chefs as Michel Guerard, Andre Daguin, Dominique Toulsey, Roland Mazere and others. In Paris, guests will stay two nights at the Hotel Le Bristol and visit renowned patisseries and boulangeries. Cost of the Oct. 15-26 trip is $4,295 and includes airfare, transportation via motorcoach and high-speed train, cultural and sightseeing excursions and breakfast and either lunch or dinner each day. A single supplement will be available at a cost to be determined this week. For reservations or information call TraveLuxe at 708-869-5151.

Beautiful Food in Glenview, True Cuisine and North Island Bistro are planning a Paris and Provence cooking tour April 12-23, 1994. Among the highlights will be a morning at the Musee D'Orsay, market tours, a cooking demonstration at the Ecole de Gastronomie Francaise, Ritz-Escoffier in Paris, classes in the south of France with Kathie Alex, Christian Willer and Christian Murisset and a stay in Julia Child's house in Chateauneuf de Grasse. Cost of $5,000 includes airfare, lodging and all meals, cooking classes, auto, bus, cab and museum fees. A $1,500 deposit is required with reservations, with the balance due by Feb. 1. Call Charlie MacDonald, owner of Beautiful Food, at 708-657-8403.

Midwest murder mysteries

The 90-year-old French Lick Springs Resort in southern Indiana, a favorite getaway spot for Al Capone in the 1920s, will play host to mayhem Oct. 14-17 with "Murder at the Springs." Participants in this mystery weekend will work together to solve several apparent "murders" in a Roaring '20s atmosphere. Cost of $499.50 double occupancy (single, $695), will include lodging, all meals, cocktail party and champagne receptions, entertainment, film showings, souvenirs and "murder" events. Call 800-372-5544.

Mystery writers Lawrence Block, Barbra D'Amato, John Lutz and Aaron Elkins will join magicians, psychics and amateur sleuths at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island Oct. 22-24 for "Medium for Murder." The 1930s is the setting, with classic mystery movies, radio shows and period costumes. Price will be $599 a couple ($499 single) and include accommodations, breakfast and dinner daily, wine and champagne receptions, mystery events and entertainment and discount on ferry tickets. Extensions including Thursday or Sunday will be available for $99 a couple, $69 single. Call 800-33-GRAND.